Muzz Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 (edited) Soooo, you may or may not have been aware of lots of my posts hand-wringing, cajoling and generally mithering around the fact that with the gig schedule I have for the rest of the year (35+ to go so far), I've been looking for lighter and lighter basses. I've tried headlesses, I've swapped stuff about, but nothing's really hit the spot. The requirements are pretty straightforward (under 8lbs, J-width nut, sounds like a P, inexpensive enough to play the Dog & Duck without fretting (SWIDT) about it) but nothing's quite matched it. I found I had a light P-body in the dusty old basses pile, and tried a neck I had, but that was a P-width nut (hence its presence in the parts pile), so I was looking for a J-width neck for it, and aside from the £300 Fender ones, the best I could do new was £129 for a no-name Chinese one from t'th'Internet. So I put a wanted ad here, and after a chat with Raslee of this parish (thanks again, someone please go and buy the necks he's selling) who was selling one, I went to look at the Squier Sonic Ps, which, although said to be very light, I hadn't really looked at because I'd assumed, as you do, that they were a P-width nut. Not so, a 1.5" nut, and I could get a whole bass for £150 delivered. In a rare moment of giddiness (and without thought of SWMBO, but then again I've found it's easier to seek forgiveness than ask permission sometimes) I pushed the button. It turned up the very next day, and despite glowing reviews, my hopes weren't exactly stratospheric; I mean, a whole new bass for £150 delivered? I just hoped the neck would be OK, perhaps with some work by my luthier. Turns out it's a very, very nice bass, very playable, good fretwork, super-tight neck pocket and a surprisingly good pickup. And light - juuust over 8lbs. Obviously, there's better basses out there, but it's astounding for the money. I could have gigged it as it came out of the box (action down to around or just below 2mm without buzzing on all strings (D'Addarios, no less)), but I already had some bits I'd used on other basses, so a happy hour was spent putting Hipshot Ultralights/Xtender, a Dimarzio DP122, a better (Fender) bridge and a scratchplate with a Kigon loom on it, and now it's properly giggable, and best of all...7lbs 13oz. Granted, all from new the additions would double the cost, but even for £300, it's still a great bass. As Marty DiBergi said, enough of my yakkin, here she is: Edited June 26 by Muzz 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 (edited) Not a Sunburst fan... too much Yellow and Red... but a Tobacco Burst, now ya talking! Looking Good with a Normal Mapel Neck n Fretboard, again not a New Fangled Roasted Fan... And the Anodised plate set'd it of as your own. Edited June 26 by PaulThePlug 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted June 26 Author Share Posted June 26 (edited) Oh, and for the tonewood types out there, she's a maple neck and a poplar body...add a DP122, a Kigon loom and stainless Elixirs and she sounds exactly like an angry P-bass... Edited June 26 by Muzz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seadunk Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 (edited) Thats a lovely bass! But i would be kinda inclined to agree as yours looks pretty much exactly like mine! I haven't made any changes except for the scratchplate. For £150 they are a killer instrument. Fretwork was great on mine, and nice low action. Pickups sounded decent considering the cost of the instrument. I just put some cheap flats on mine and I love how it feels to play Edited June 26 by Seadunk 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassApprentice Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 Nice work! Where did you source your gold scratchplates? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted June 26 Author Share Posted June 26 Mine's something I've had for an age on another bass - can't remember exactly where I got it, but it's got a WD Music sticker on the back...it's plastic, kinda 2-ply, black with gold on top... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munurmunuh Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 There's a very light bitsa P with J neck on SC atm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 Nice review @Muzz, I’ve been looking for a reasonably priced lightweight Precision with J-neck for gigs, will check these out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted June 26 Author Share Posted June 26 43 minutes ago, Munurmunuh said: There's a very light bitsa P with J neck on SC atm Well, that would come up now I'm sorted, after months of looking...3kg? With a hi-mass bridge and standard tuners? Blimey, that's one really, really, really light piece of Alder... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooky_lowdown Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 1 hour ago, BassApprentice said: Nice work! Where did you source your gold scratchplates? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dopro-Modern-Style-Aluminium-Precision-Pickguard/dp/B09BN8MJRK?th=1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munurmunuh Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 (edited) 7 hours ago, Muzz said: 3kg? With a hi-mass bridge and standard tuners? Blimey, that's one really, really, really light piece of Alder... I recently learnt that the bridge on my featherlight LB-100 accounts for 10% of its 7 lbs Edited June 26 by Munurmunuh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted June 27 Author Share Posted June 27 (edited) That G&L bridge is a monster, tho...I'm always surprised that manufacturers don't state even a range of weights for basses which are as light as this: just looked online, and there's no mention in anything official... Edited June 27 by Muzz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munurmunuh Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 40 minutes ago, Muzz said: That G&L bridge is a monster, tho. People are always sceptical about these featherweight G&Ls not having neckdive. Clearly the ultralight tuners are important, but now I'm wondering if that monster bridge at the other end of the string is half of the equation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
velvetkevorkian Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 If they did that it would mean additional work/waste at the factory filtering out parts that would make it too heavy. This way they're not committing to anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munurmunuh Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 I once saw a virtually brand new built to order L-2000 on sale. Despite being empress/pawlonia, it was 8 lbs - not what you expect when paying the extra $100 for the alternate wood. As vkk says, they're not committing to anything. Poor sod waited half a year and didn't get what they were hoping for. Tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munurmunuh Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 57 minutes ago, Muzz said: I'm always surprised that manufacturers don't state even a range of weights for basses which are as light as this: just looked online, and there's no mention in anything official... I just double-checked on the Sandberg site - they do give a couple of "approx" figures for their Superlight active jazz: 3kg for the 4-string, 3.6kg for the 5-string Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted June 27 Author Share Posted June 27 Yeah, I get that a lot of them don't want to commit to (and get returns from) a specific weight, but some manufacturers (like Sandberg) will give ballparks - after all, it's part of the design. I think that in advertising lightweight basses extensively there may well still be a reluctance to go against the hangover of the old 'Tone comes from weight' myth - you've only got to look on that site over the water to see that vociferously still expounded... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munurmunuh Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 (edited) I recall a recent ish thread about someone getting Sandberg to give another of their models the Superlight treatment. And so I'm considering their California Central 4 string done like that. Humbucker in the Stingray spot (but wired in series) plus 3-band eq with passive option. Edited June 27 by Munurmunuh Link added 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raslee Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 So I did exactly the same, bought the California blue P, fitted a EMG Geezer B and a USA P neck that I had. But @Muzz is absolutely right, the original maple jazz width Squier neck is sublime but I will be selling mine (brand new if any interest here 😉😂). Anyhow I’m chuffed to bits with my P project. Rehearsed it tonight and it was the dogs dangling bits and best of all weighs 7.9lbs and no neck dive. Before: After 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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